Words of John, Thoughts of God

Mike Ramey

Description

From his exile on Patmos, St. John the Beloved, the last of the original disciples, writes to encourage the faith of a second generation of believers. They faced challenges of persecution from without and false teachers from within; but they didn't face them alone. God was still speaking through John's words. Their pastor was still ministering to them.

From his exile on Patmos, St. John the beloved, the last of the original disciples, writes to encourage the faith of a second generation of believers. They faced challenges of persecution from without and false teachers from within; but they didn’t face them alone. God was still speaking through John’s words. Their pastor was still ministering to them.



The Words of John, Thoughts of God is founded on the Bible as God’s holy inspired word written by the writers he chooses to speak through. The devotions contained show how God works among his people through his word to encourage the church on earth in its faith and practices.



Journeying through the EPISTLES of John, author Mike Ramey delves into the depths of God’s word to share with God’s people the truth, hope, and peace found in the Bible.

Sujets

• Inspirational
• Philosophie et théologie
• Devotion
• Religion
• Faith
• Inspiration
• Bible

Informations

• Publié par: Archway Publishing
• Date de parution: 01 février 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665737180
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Words of John, Thoughts of God
 
 
Devotions on the Epistles of St. John the Beloved
 
 
 
 
 
MIKE RAMEY
 
 
 
 

 
Copyright © 2023 Mike Ramey.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.
 
Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.archwaypublishing.com
844-669-3957
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version® Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 
Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation , © 2017 by Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Used by permission.
 
Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 by Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Used by permission.
 
Martin Franzmann, “Thy Strong Word,” © 1969 by Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Used by permission.
 
Brian Mm. Howard, “I Just Wanna Be a Sheep,” © 1974, 2002, Mission Hills Music, www.ButterflySong.com . Used by permission.
 
“I Love to Tell the Story,” by Kate Hankey, taken from www.hymnary.org , Public Domain.
 
“Blessed Assurance” by Fanny Crosby, taken from www.hymnal.net , Public Domain.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6657-3717-3 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-3718-0 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023900839
 
 
Archway Publishing rev. date: 02/01/2023
Contents
Introduction
1 John 1:1, MSG
“From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in – we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands.”
1 John 1:2 MSG
“The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we’re telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us.”
1 John 1:3-4, MSG
“We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!”
1 John 1:5, MSG
“This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there’s not a trace of darkness in him.”
1 John 1:6-7, MSG
“If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth – we’re not living as we claim. But if we walk in light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificial blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin.”
1 John 1:8-9, MSG
“If we claim we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is nonsense. One the other hand, if we admit our sins – make a clean breast of them – he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing.”
1 John 1:10, MSG
“If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God – make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.”
1 John 2:1-2, MSG
“I write this, dear children, to guide you out of sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus Christ, righteous Christ. When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good – not only ours, but the whole world’s.”
1 John 2:3-4, MSG
“Here’s how we can be sure that we know God in the right way: Keep his commandments. If someone claims, ‘I know him well!’ but doesn’t keep his commandments, he’s obviously a liar. His life doesn’t match his words.”
1 John 2:5-6, MSG
“But the one who keeps God’s word is the person in whom we see God’s mature love. This is the only way to be sure we’re in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived.”
1 John 2:7-8, MSG
“My dear friends, I’m not writing anything new here. This is the oldest commandment in the book, and you’ve known it from day one. It’s always been implicit in the Message you’ve heard. On the other hand, perhaps it is new, freshly minted as it is in both Christ and you – the darkness on its way out and the True Light already blazing!”
1 John 2:9-11, MSG
“Anyone who claims to live in God’s light and hates a brother or sister is still in the dark. It’s the person who loves brother and sister who dwells in God’s light and doesn’t block the light from others. But whoever hates is still in the dark, stumbles around in the dark, doesn’t know which end is up, blinded by the darkness.”
1 John 2:12, MSG
“I remind you, my dear children: Your sins are forgiven in Jesus’ name. You veterans were in on the ground floor and know the One who started all this; you newcomers have won a big victory over the Evil One.”
1 John 2:13-14, MSG
“And a second reminder, dear children: You know the Father from personal experience. You veterans know the One who started it all; and you newcomers – such vitality and strength! God’s word is so steady in you. Your fellowship with God enables you to gain a victory over the Evil One.”
1 John 2:15, MSG
“Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father.”
1 John 2:16-17, MSG
“Practically everything that goes on in the world – wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important – has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out – but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.”
1 John 2:18, MSG
“Children, time is just about up. You heard that Antichrist is coming. Well, they’re all over the place, antichrists everywhere you look. That’s how we know that we’re close to the end.”
1 John 2:19, MSG
“They left us, but they were never really with us. If they had been, they would have stuck it out with us, loyal to the end. In leaving, they showed their true colors, showed they never belonged.”
1 John 2:20-21, MSG
“But you belong. The Holy One anointed you, and you all know it. I haven’t been writing this to tell you something you do not know, but to confirm the truth you do know, and to remind you that the truth doesn’t breed lies.”
1 John 2:22-23, MSG
“So who is lying here? It’s the person who denies that Jesus is the Divine Christ, that’s who. This is what makes an antichrist: denying the Father, denying the Son. No one who denies the Son has any part with the Father, but affirming the Son is an embrace of the Father as well.”
1 John 2:24-25, MSG
“Stay with what you heard in the beginning, the original message. Let it sink into your life. If what you heard from the beginning lives deeply in you, you will live deeply in both Son and Father. This is exactly what Christ promised: eternal life, real life!”
1 John 2:26-27, MSG
“I’ve written to warn you about those who are trying to deceive you. But they’re no match for what is embedded deeply within you – Christ’s anointing, no less! You don’t need any of their so-called teaching. Christ’s anointing teaches you the truth on everything you need to know about yourself and him, uncontaminated by a single lie. Live deeply in what you were taught.”
1 John 2:28-29, MSG
“And now, children, stay with Christ. Live deeply in Christ: Then we’ll be ready for him when he appears, ready to receive him with open arms, with no cause for red-faced guilt or lame excuses when he arrives. Once you’re convinced that he is right and righteous, you’ll recognize that all who practice righteousness are God’s children.”
1 John 3:1, MSG
“What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it – we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to.”
1 John 3:2-3, MSG
“But friends, that’s exactly who we are: children of God. And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see him – and in seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready with the glistening purity of Jesus’ life as a model for our own.”
1 John 3:4, MSG
“All who indul